Auto-rickshaw drivers in the city have urged the government to pay them each a sum of Rs 10,000 per month to compensate for the losses incurred after the implementation of the Shakti scheme.
In a press meet organised by the Bangalore Auto Drivers Unions’ Federation in the city on Wednesday, several auto and taxi drivers bemoaned the government’s lack of initiative and interest in their worsening economic condition.
They said that their incomes were already being eaten into by bike taxis, and now, the implementation of the Shakti scheme has exacerbated their situation, making it difficult for them to make ends meet.
“Many drivers are struggling to pay rent, repay loans, and pay their children’s school fees because of these issues,” Manjunath, president of the federation, told DH.
They pointed out the Congress party’s pre-election assurance to auto and taxi drivers to ban bike taxis, among other promises, and called out the lack of a budget allocation to help this “disadvantaged” group.
Besides these demands, the federation has also urged the government to establish a development corporation for unorganised commercial drivers and provide low-interest loans of up to Rs 2 lakh through various government development boards.
Members of the federation will hold another meeting with maxicab and truck drivers on Thursday, following which they will submit their proposal to the government.
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